The Hope Scholarship Program (Florida Statute 212.1832), created by the Florida Legislature in 2018, allows the purchaser of a motor vehicle to designate a portion of the required state sales tax (up to $105) to fund K-12 scholarships for Florida public school students who are subjected to incidents of bullying or violence.
This innovative scholarship provides at-risk students an opportunity to refocus on their education in a new learning environment at a Florida Department of Education-approved private school or an out-of-district public school. Any funds remaining, once all Hope Scholarship students have been served, may be used to fund scholarships for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship provides lower-income Florida students the opportunity to attend a FLDOE-approved private school or for transportation assistance to an out-of-district public school.
To provide enhanced security and more convenient contributions, the Hope Scholarship online payment portal was upgraded in Fall 2021. Florida’s car dealerships, county tax collectors and private tag agencies now have more convenient ways to securely remit and track confirmation of deposited contributions digitally. The service is offered through several devices, online, mobile, IVR and digital assistants to provide options to as many users as possible.
The upgraded Hope eBill Payment Portal even includes the option to remit tax election contributions at the last minute and still have payments make it on time to remain compliant with state law! View instructions HERE.